TAPIRID*:. MAMMALIA. TAPIRID.E. 



187 



destroying this persecuted animal, that of shooting 

 them is of course the most effective; nevertheless, the 

 sport is attended with much difficulty, as, when in the 

 water, they are only vulnerable immediately behind 

 the ear. Like the Egyptians of old, the present 

 native Beyeye employ the harpoon, and our unhappy 

 behemoth is drawn out of the water in all the agonies 

 of a helpless resistance. On land the harpoon is also 

 employed as the principal part of a trap called the 

 ' ' downfall . " The instrument, loaded with heavy weights, 

 is suspended from the bough of a tree, and is in connec- 

 tion with a string below, which being touched by the 

 beast causes the weapon to descend on its luckless pate. 

 The Hippopotamus is also taken in pitfalls. Its flesh 

 is palatable, and very highly esteemed. The hide is 

 extensively employed in the manufacture of whips or 

 sjamboks ; whilst the canine teeth are especially valuable 

 for making artificial teeth, the ivory fetching as much 

 as thirty shillings per pound. For these reasons, 

 multitudes of hippopotamuses are destroyed annually. 

 Some naturalists believe that a smaller kind of hippo- 

 potamus found in certain parts of Western Africa ought 

 to be regarded as a distinct species. This form was 

 first described by Dr. Morton under the title of Hippo- 

 potamus minor, and subsequently as Hippopotamus 

 liberiensis. One of its distinguishing peculiarities con- 

 sists in the presence of only two incisor teeth in the 

 lower jaw. Dr. Leidy has given a minute description 

 of its osteological characters in the second volume 

 of the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences 

 of Philadelphia. It has even been regarded as the 

 type of a new genus. 



FAMILY IV. TAPIEID^J. 



In their general appearance the Tapirs manifestly 

 approach the pigs, whilst in respect of conformity to type, 

 their considerable bulk, associated with a proboscidi- 

 form muzzle and more exalted stature, retain a cogency 

 of development sufficient to indicate their transitional 

 character. If the skull of an American Tapir be 



Fig. 71. 



Skull of the Tap:r. 



examined, its form will be seen to represent a pyramid 

 having three facets, whereas that of the hog has four. 

 A more significant feature, however, obtains in the 

 elevated and arched character of the nasal bones, and 

 in the lofty interparietal ridge surmounting the vertex 

 of the cranium (fig. 71). The jaws are furnished 

 with forty-two teeth ; that is to say, twelve incisors 

 equally divided above and below, four canines, and 



twenty-six molars, of which latter, seven occur on 

 either side in the upper series. A wide interval sepa- 

 rates the canines from the premolars. The spinal 

 column possesses only four lumbar vertebrae; but 

 there are twenty pair of ribs. The bladebone of the 

 shoulder exhibits a deep circular notch at its anterior 

 margin ; the homologically corresponding bone of the 

 hip, or ilium, being T-shaped. The anterior h'mbs are 

 furnished with four digits; but the hind feet are tri- 

 dactylous. The fossil genus PalcBotherium has three 

 toes on all the feet. The Tapirs are found inhabiting 

 the reedy forests of tropical Asia and America, where 

 they feed on grass and herbage. 



THE COMMON TAPIB (Tapirus Americanus} Plate 

 25, fig. 82 is a native of South America, and, though 

 found in all parts of the continent, from the Straits of 

 Magellan to the Isthmus of Darien, is more particularly 

 abundant on the east coast of the continent. It stands 

 rather high on the legs, and frequently attains a length of 

 six feet from the extremity of the proboscidiform muzzle 

 to the root of the tail. The hide has a deep-brown colour 

 approaching to black, being scantily furnished with short 

 hairs closely applied to the surface of the skin. The 

 ears are of moderate size, the eyes small, and the 

 muzzle extremely attenuated and prolonged into a 

 proboscis, which is naked and flesh-coloured at the 

 tip. The neck is surmounted by a short, bristly, black 

 mane. The tail is insignificant. The Common Tapir 

 is monogamous and nocturnal in its habits. Selecting 

 the deepest recesses of the forest, it snoozes lazily 

 during the day, and when the shades of evening gather 

 darkness, it wanders forth to commit its nocturnal 

 depredations along the grassy and luxurious slopes of 

 a neighbouring stream. Herbs ot every sort seem to 

 be devoured without much selective care ; and, swine- 

 like, it occasionally swallows putrid vegetable matters, 

 as well as all kinds of garbage. A tame specimen in 

 the possession of D'Azara broke open and demolished 

 the contents of a silver snuff-box ! Even in the wild 

 state, their stomachs have been found to contain 

 various earthy products, besides pieces of wood and 

 pebbles. The Tapir is possessed of very considerable 

 strength ; it naturally exhibits a mild disposition, but 

 when attacked offers a stout resistance. It is easily 

 domesticated. The flesh is coarse and insipid. 



EOULIN'S TAPIB (Tapirus villosus) is also an in- 

 habitant of South America. It is found, however, 

 on mountainous slopes upwards of four thousand feet 

 above the level of the sea. In some respects it is said 

 to approach more closely to the Malayan species. 

 The hide is of a dark black colour, and thickly clothed 

 with hair. The nasal bones are more elongated than 

 in other existing species constituting a feature which 

 occurs more markedly in the extinct genus above 

 mentioned. 



THE MALAYAN TAPIR (Tapirus Malayanus) or 

 BABI ALU, is a native of Sumatra, Borneo, and the 

 Malaccas. It is a comparatively rare and unknown 

 animal, and was first introduced to our notice by Major 

 Farquhar in 1816. Subsequently Sir T. Stamford 

 Raffles communicated a more detailed account of this 

 animal, which was published in the thirteenth volume 

 of the Linneean Society's Transactions for 1821. He 



